BiVACOR® is a major advance upon earlier generation artificial heart technologies which push blood from one side of the heart only. BiVACOR® can support both sides of a failing heart (BV Assist) or may act as a total artificial heart replacing the heart completely (BV Replace). The device is currently undergoing extensive research and development at the Texas Heart Institute. Visit the BiVACOR website for more technical details.

THI and the artificial heart

Dr. O. H. "Bud" Frazier has virtually dedicated his entire career to developing mechanical heart assist devices that have already saved and improved many lives. In recent years, he has been joined by innovative and dedicated physician-scientists like Dr. Billy Cohn in refining and developing new cutting edge technology in this field. In sum, the THI team has led the world for the last half-century in the push to develop a viable, durable total artificial heart.

In 2012, with another milestone leap forward toward that goal, the team is now working with Dr. Daniel Timms, a talented young biomedical engineer from Australia, who has designed a device to support or totally replace the heart. Called the BiVACOR, the machine is small, lightweight and deceptively simple. It uses a magnetic field, a spinning disc and centrifugalforce to pump blood. Because there is only a single moving part and no friction, we expect it to be extremely durable.

Our team is now working to refine and test the device in order to have it ready for possible human clinical trials in only a few years.

Support brings inventor to Houston

Linda and Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and their family have admirably parlayed the success of their furniture business into involvement with, and support for, many important things in our city and state. Their recent significant gift supports THI's all-out push to develop a durable, life-saving artificial heart by funding the move of Dr. Timms' lab and team to Houston.